The ILRI Forage Genebank celebrates 40th anniversary and the launch of exciting new forage and climate research

On 15 May 2024, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) marked the 40th anniversary of its Forage Genebank, which is dedicated to the conservation and use of global forage genetic resources.

This milestone event at the ILRI Addis Ababa campus commemorated four decades of ILRI and CGIAR’s pioneering efforts in preserving and optimizing the use of forage biodiversity in low- and middle-income countries.

With more than 18,000 accessions from nearly 2000 forage species, the ILRI Forage Genebank continues to be the source of feed solutions for livestock across Ethiopia and Africa.

Photo: ILRI scientist Jean Hanson examines seed in the ILRI forage Genebank (ILRI/Stevie Mann)